Tag Archives: Mobile Tips

Many Android devices provide users with an option to change the default wallpaper through Settings -> Personalize options. However, several new devices including the Samsung Galaxy Tab, LG Nitro HD and more do not provide a straightforward option to change the default wallpaper.

If you are someone who is confused on how to change the wallpaper for your device, you can follow the simple instructions given below to apply a wallpaper of your choice to your Android device.

Step 1: Long Press (press and hold) any blank space on your screen

Step 2: You will see the "Add to home screen" option popup which will allow you to add widgets, shortcuts, folders and wallpapers to your home screen.

Step 3: Select the wallpapers option from them and then choose the wallpaper from the "Gallery" or "Live wallpapers" and then choose from it.

Step 4: Once you have chosen the wallpaper you want, click the "Set wallpaper" button and it will replace the current wallpaper.

Understandably, this is a longer process than having an option to "Personalize" your device, but it is easy nevertheless.

Just like iOS which introduced folders in iOS4, Android too allows users to create folders to store multiple items in it. Adding a folder is pretty easy but Android does not provide an easy option to rename the folder to something more rememberable.

Whenever you create or add a new folder to any Android home screen, the name remains "New folder" which is not very helpful when you add multiple folders to the same screen.

So how do you rename folders in Android? Well, it is actually pretty easy. When you add a "New folder" to a Android screen, open the folder and then long press (press and hold) the folder’s title bar where the name appears (initially "new folder"). When you do that, a dialog box "Rename folder" will appear, allowing you to enter a new name for the folder.

Enter the name of the folder in the dialog box and click on the "OK" button and your folder will be renamed. You can use the same steps to rename the folder to something else as well.

Just make sure to open the folder first so that it’s contents are visible. If you long press on the folder itself, you will be shown an option to remove it and not to change the folder name of the Android folder.

One of the most interesting features in iOS5 is the ability to quickly take pictures from the lock screen without even having to unlock the iPhone or iPod Touch. This feature earlier allowed users to control the music player too.

In order to quickly access the camera from the lock screen, just double click on the home button and you will see an option to use the camera as seen in the screenshot above.

Just click on the icon and you will be able to take photographs and save them. This is definitely one of the best features Apple has introduced in iOS5. We will be covering more such interesting things and tips for iOS5 in future. Stay tuned for them.

Android is one of the biggest platforms in the world and has tons of useful apps in the Market. However, there are times when you might not want to use an app anymore because it does not fit your expectations or due to some other reasons.

If you are looking to uninstall or remove apps from Android, follow the steps listed below.

Step 1: Go to Settings -> Applications and then click on the Manage applications option.

Step 2: Click on the application you want to remove and then click on the "Uninstall" button on the next screen.

On the next screen confirm that you want to remove the application and the application will be removed from your Android device. If you want to reinstall the same app again, you can just go to http://market.android.com and then install it remotely on your device from the web interface or browse the market on your device to install the app.

If you are an iPhone, iPod Touch or iPad user, here is a simple way to create stronger passcodes for your device.

How To Use Strong Passcodes on iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad

Step 1: Go to the Settings App on your device.

Step 2: Go to the General option and then click on the option "Passcode Lock". This will prompt you to enter your current passcode. Enter the same and click on the "Done" button.

Step 3: On the passcode screen, click on the "On" button next to Simple Passcode and change it to "Off". You will now be prompted to enter your current passcode, followed by an option to create a new alpha-numeric passcode. You can create very strong passcodes using alphabets, numbers and special characters.

Performing these three easy steps will allow you to protect your iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad better than the 4 digit passcodes. You can always create strong passwords using the tips and tools mentioned above in this article.

Microsoft released a minor software update for WP7 based devices which would improve the updates process in the future. However, it turns out that Microsoft did not test the update process much because it has reportedly bricked several users devices who applied the update.

Microsoft did ask users to exchange the device if they have a problem, but that is definitely a time consuming process. In the interim, Microsoft has also stopped updates for WP7 Samsung devices.

If you have a bricked Windows Phone7 device after applying the latest WP7 updates, a Neowin user has posted some steps to fix the bricked Windows Phone 7 device. Follow the steps given below to fix your phone.

Unplug USB form computer. Charge phone or put in charger.

Turn off phone.

Turn on phone using 3 buttons – power, camera and volume up/down rocker. Keep all 3 held for 10-15 seconds. Do not release when it asks if you want to format the SD card.

Keep holding until it says “download mode”. This will reinstall the OS.

Try the steps given below to recover your Windows Phone 7 device before you head over to the store to get a replacement. Phew, can’t believe that Microsoft botched up an update that would improve the update process in the future.

Quite recently, one of our readers emailed us about inserting a SIM card in iPhone 4. iPhone 4 does not have a slim slot like traditional phones, so you will have to do it a bit differently.

According to Apple iPhone Manual, inserting a SIM card in iPhone is pretty easy, all you need is the SIM eject tool provided by Apple. If you do not have a SIM eject tool you could also use another blunt object like a paper clip.

To Insert/Install SIM Card in iPhone 4, follow the steps given below:

Step 1: Insert the end of the paper clip or SIM eject tool into the hole on the SIM tray. Press firmly and push it straight in until the tray pops out.

Step 2: Pull out the SIM tray and place the SIM card in the tray. The angled corner of the SIM ensures that the card fits only the correct way in the tray.

If you are looking to jailbreak iPod Touch running any iOS version including iOS 4 or higher, open Safari on your device and visit Jailbreakme.com. You will be shown a screen similar to the one below where you can read through the information.

To start the iPod Touch jailbreak, just slide the arrow key over the text "Slide to jailbreak". Doing that will start the jailbreak process for the iPod Touch. It will take a few minutes to complete the jailbreak after which it will install the Cydia app on your iPod Touch.

To jailbreak iPad running any iOS 3.2 or 3.2.1 open Safari on the iPad and browse to Jailbreakme.com. This will open the jailbreaking site with instructions and information on Jailbreak.

You will also see a slider similar to what you see when your device is locked which says "Slide to jailbreak". Just slide the arrow to the end and the jailbreaking process will start. It might take a few minutes for the entire jailbreaking process to get over. Once the iPad is jailbroken, the Cydia app will be installed on your device.

When you visit the site you will see a control similar to unlocking your iPhone which says “Slide to jailbreak”. Just slide the arrow to the end and the jailbreaking process will start. It might take a few minutes for the entire jailbreaking process to get over. Once the iPhone/iPod Touch is jailbroken, the Cydia app will be installed on your device.